RIAG: Lifespan-CNE Merger Public Comment Sought

PROVIDENCE — If you’re curious about the proposed Lifespan – CNE merger (Care New England Health System), which runs Kent Hospital, or want to comment on it, RI’s Attorney General and the Department of Health (RIDOH) have you covered in keeping with the Hospital Conversions Act.

The agencies have made the application available on their respective websites, at RIAG.ri.gov and at health.ri.gov.

Lifespan, Rhode Island’s largest health system, is a comprehensive, academic health system affiliated with The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Lifespan’s partners include Hasbro Children’s Hospital; Bradley Hospital; Newport Hospital, Gateway Healthcare, The Miriam Hospital, and Rhode Island Hospital, the state’s largest hospital, also its only Level I trauma center and accredited burn center.

Care New England runs six Rhode Island hospitals and care centers, including Kent Hospital in Warwick. The other centers managed by CNE are Butler Hospital, Integra Community Care, The Providence Center,  VNA of Care New England, and Women & Infants.

The Lifespan/CNE application was deemed complete and accepted for review on Nov. 16, 2021. Prior to being made public, the application and all attached documents were subject to a confidentiality review, which is required by the Hospital Conversions Act. As part of this review, Lifespan and CNE requested that documents or parts of documents they consider confidential be withheld from public disclosure. Those requests were reviewed by the Attorney General and anything deemed to be confidential, such as confidential business/propriety information and personally identifiable information, was redacted or withheld from this public disclosure.

A complete list of all the documents submitted as part of the application – including documents deemed confidential and the reasons why – is available here. (Application_confidentiality_review.pdf)

At this stage in the process, the Attorney General and RIDOH continue the review process, which involves requesting information from the transacting parties.

Under the HCA, the deadline for a decision approving, approving with conditions, or denying the transaction falls 120 days from the date of completeness. In this case, the deadline remains March 16, 2022.  

Public comment meetings

The Attorney General and RIDOH will hold virtual public comment meetings concerning the proposed transaction on Thursday, January 20, 2022 from 5pm-7pm and Wednesday, January 26, 2022 from 3pm-5pm.

Sign up here to provide public comment at one of these meetings.

Virtual meeting access information:

Jan. 20, 2022

5 – 7 p.m.

https://esquiresolutions.zoom.us/j/94898924339?pwd=VFJOYndUWHlsNWJpZm9lUkNLR1ZZQT09

+1 669 900 6833 or +1 346 248 7799 US Toll

If joining from an H.323/SIP room system: Dial: 162.255.37.11 (US West) or 162.255.36.11 (US East)

Jan. 26, 2022

3 – 5 p.m.

https://esquiresolutions.zoom.us/j/93624453049?pwd=ZmJXMWtNSTlxSWVYendRdXlqbWhGZz09

+1 669 900 6833 or +1 346 248 7799 US Toll

If joining from an H.323/SIP room system: Dial: 162.255.37.11 (US West) or 162.255.36.11 (US East)

Written comment

The Attorney General and RIDOH are also accepting written comments regarding the proposed transaction from now through February 1, 2022. Written comments may be forwarded to:

Maria R. Lenz

Assistant Attorney General

Office of the Attorney General

150 South Main Street Providence, RI 02903

[email protected]

Fernanda Lopes, MPH,

Chief, Office of Health Systems Development

Rhode Island Department of Health

Three Capitol Hill, Room 410 Providence, RI 02908

[email protected]